<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Changes by tshmarie</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24111013">Changes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tshmarie/pseuds/tshmarie'>tshmarie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Changes [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Gay Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pack Dynamics, Post-Canon, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:07:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,144</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24111013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tshmarie/pseuds/tshmarie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You can come in.” Kyle’s strained voice reached me before I reached his office.<br/>I slid through the door softly, closed it behind me, and leaned casually against the doorframe.<br/>“Is everythin’ alright?” I let a bit of my drawl out.<br/>Kyle looked up at me with pale blue eyes like ice. “I want to eat her husband.”<br/>——<br/>Kyle survived the Change, but that isn’t the same as “happily ever after.”<br/>The final(?) installment of my Changes series. Each chapter is a moment as Kyle adjusts to being a werewolf. TWs will be noted in chapter notes.<br/>Open for requests.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kyle Brooks/Warren Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Changes [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718647</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Broken Bond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kyle gasped awake, the smell of his fear washing through the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No more. I can’t...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle. It’s ok. It’s over. You made it.” I cupped his cheek and gently turned his head to look at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes focused on me. “It’s over? You mean, I’m ...?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded. “You’re a werewolf. Like me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at me for a minute. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against my chest. “I had no idea. You told me, but I didn’t understand. I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for what, darlin’?” I ran my fingers through his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your change. What it must have been like. I knew what was happening, and what was coming, and it was still ...” he slid his arms around me. “I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I kissed his hair. “It was a long time ago. And I think you’re still exhausted. Why don’t we find you some food and then you should get some more sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, his stomach growled. I chuckled and we crawled out of bed. I had just opened the door, when I sensed Kyle freeze behind me and I smelt the sharp tang of fear again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What  is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at me in horror. “I can’t feel you. I ... our bond, it's ... gone.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few days later, when Kyle had finished recovering from the change and been welcomed into the pack, we asked Adam a second time to sense our mate bond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took several slow, deep breaths and then opened his eyes. For just a moment, his eyes were wolf-gold before fading back to his normal brown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can sense Warren’s half of the bond still. Nothing has changed there. But I don’t get anything from Kyle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that mean?” I was trying hard not to be scared. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How could our bond be only half there?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam put a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know for certain. Every mate bond is different and reacts differently to things. I do know that the bond is different between two wolves. With a human, the wolf makes the claim and the human just has to accept it. It’s never more than a vague awareness of each other, and often the human isn’t even aware of it. With two wolves, the bond can be much stronger, but they have to claim each other. Your claim is still there, Warren. Your wolf wants Kyle and now his wolf. But Kyle’s wolf hasn’t claimed you back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saying he ain’t my mate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adam let us go home. He said between me and Zack, he trusted we could keep our new wolf under control. Without our mate bond, I was a little less certain, but I trusted my Alpha. And I knew Kyle would be happier getting back to work and life as normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was quiet, though, on the way home. He smelled of grief and fear. He didn’t talk through dinner, but I noticed him playing with his ring. I waited till we got up to our room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the door closed, I pushed my husband against the wall and put my hands on either side of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to make something very clear.” I let my wolf come out enough to change my eyes. “You. Are mine. I claimed you. I made a promise.” I found his left hand and brought it to my lips so I could kiss his ring. “Till death do us part. And I don’t care if it takes your wolf a week, a month, or a hundred years: I ain’t going nowhere. And neither are you.” I moved my lips to his ear. “You.” I kissed the soft spot behind his jaw. “Are.” I kissed the side of his throat. “Mine.” I closed my lips and teeth on his collarbone, making him gasp. I lingered long enough to leave a mark, before meeting his eyes again. “Any questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His grief and fear were mixing intoxicatingly with surprise and desire. “Would you do that again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gave him a predatory smile and repeated my claim on the other side. Then I started leaving a few more bruises along his collarbone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle pushed off the wall, pressing our bodies together. “You don’t have to be gentle with me anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And wasn’t that an enticing thought?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, before you skin me alive for breaking their bond...<br/>1) With what we know of pack magic and mate bonds, it seems possible and even likely that a newly created wolf (especially one as dominant as Kyle) would need to claim their mate rather than just get sucked into a relationship that their human half accepted before the wolf even existed.<br/>2) I want Kyle to earn his place in the pack and gain their respect as his own person rather than just Warren’s mate. (No Leahs in this story...)<br/>3) A little bit of angst makes the fluff so much sweeter, don’t you think? ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Blue Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I was sitting in the office, chatting with Angelina. It was Kyle’s second or third day back to work and only about a week since his change. So far, he’d been doing fine with it. He was a bit grumpy last night until I got food in him, but that was the first sign I’d seen of his wolf.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I was getting a bit worried about him, though. I’d been keeping my attention on him through the pack bonds—not enough to be prying, though it was more than our mate bond had ever given me—and I could sense him getting agitated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the moment, he was in with a new client. She’d come in about 45 minutes ago with a friend and looked awfully timid. It was a familiar sight and Angelina and I had shared a look after we heard Kyle’s door close. Kyle had a reputation for being good with abuse cases. His one concern about going through the change was whether these victims would still see him as safe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shifted my focus from Angelina to my husband. I couldn’t quite hear words, but their voices sounded calm. The smell of fear hadn’t changed since the two women entered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before I could make up my mind, the door opened, and the two women returned. If anything, they seemed slightly calmer than when they went in with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr Brooks asked us to make another appointment with him.” The friend told Angelina. “He also asked Mr Smith to join him in his office?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’ll be me.” I told her, carefully keeping my movements calm. I tipped an imaginary hat to both of them before moseying off down the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can come in.” Kyle’s strained voice reached me before I reached his office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I slid through the door softly, closed it behind me, and leaned casually against the doorframe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everythin’ alright?” I let a bit of my drawl out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle looked up at me with pale blue eyes like ice. “I want to eat her husband.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He hurt her?” I shifted my gaze to the window behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and nodded. “Help me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you tried taking some deep breaths?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s how I got through the meeting.” He looked at me again. “Did I scare her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah. She actually seemed calmer when she left.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His body was still tense. The room still smelled of his stress and anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I strolled around his desk, keeping my focus on the window. I sat on the edge of the desk beside him, and bent over to kiss him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle turned towards me, softening a little, but it wasn’t Kyle that kissed me back. It wasn’t Kyle that gripped my waist, or that lifted me off the desk and laid me on the office floor. It was several minutes before I felt it was Kyle again, when he lifted himself off of me, and asked,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warren?” Sounding more uncertain than I’d ever heard him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s ok. Just breathe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My phone rang. I scrambled to find it and answered without checking the caller ID. I was surprised he hadn’t called sooner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s human. No one got hurt. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” Adam hung up without another word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warren?” He sounded more cautious than uncertain now. “What just happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I stood and put myself back together. “What do you remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a moment to gather himself. “I was meeting with Jessica Holmes and her cousin. She didn’t say what her soon-to-be-ex has done to her, but they rarely do. Her cousin, Anne, knew some of it and told me a little. You know how I feel about stories like that, but this time ...” he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t normally get that angry. I wanted to hurt him. I was afraid I would lose it, so I asked her to come back next week.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you remember us talkin’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded. “I remember you kissing me and ... that anger and hunger ... changed focus somehow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you let it, didn’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was that my wolf?” He asked, his voice flat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Do you remember what he did?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It felt like a dream. I could see and feel everything, but I couldn’t control it and it didn’t quite feel real.” He paused for a moment. “Either that, or it felt more real than anything I’ve ever experienced.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Things are a bit different with the wolf in charge. But you handled it awfully well. Most don’t manage to stay human the first time that anger shows up. And most don’t remember the first time the wolf takes over. Shows you’re fairly dominant, and already have some control. Which is good.” I smiled. “Course, neither of those surprise me much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve done it to me, haven’t you.” It wasn’t a question so I waited. “When something’s gone wrong, either in the pack or if you had a really frustrating day, when you come to me with wolf eyes. It’s ...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Sometimes, some things are too big to bottle up. I can. I did for a long time. I like this way better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded, and took another breath. “I should get back to work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably. I should call Adam.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warren?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I paused in the open door and looked back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have three or four more chapters in mind and at various stages of completion, but I would love more ideas. If there’s anything your curious about or think we need to see as Kyle gets used to being a wolf, let me know. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Marshmallow Rank</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW mentions of homophobia. (Warren’s got scars, peeps.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kyle and me spent a lot of time at Adam’s house those first few weeks. We went to all the Sunday breakfasts and Pirate Nights. Zack had to go for a budget meeting and we went with him to hang out with whoever was there. A few times we were invited for dinner. It was a lot, but Adam felt it was necessary with Kyle’s change. For both him and the pack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Problem was, the pack was getting a bit testy. It was expected; Kyle was new and technically unranked. Some of the pack—Honey, Zack, Ben (oddly enough)—acted like Kyle was still mine, even without our bond. Others, those at the bottom of the pack, knew instinctively that Kyle was far too dominant to be a threat to their rank, but they picked up on the tension from the others. The problem was just below me, the wolves who knew Kyle was dominant but weren’t sure whether he was above or below them. And as a newly-changed wolf, Adam didn’t want anybody to challenge him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the spirit of honesty, I wasn’t helping much either. I was never really sure whether I was more dominant than my mate. I’d given him a command once and he’d listened, but he’d had a zombie chewing on his neck at the time. If I was, nothing would change. But if he was more dominant than me, then he was also more dominant than Deryl and that would cause all kinds of problems. I also worried how his placement in the pack might affect our relationship. I worried how his wolf would see me when he finally came out. And worst of all, all the biting comments that had been whispered and spat at me since my first pack realized I wanted their Second ran loops through my mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Aberration. Unnatural. Your wolf would never... The pack bonds won’t accept </span>
  </em>
  <span>your</span>
  <em>
    <span> kind of partner. You can’t have a mate. You don’t belong. You only create tension in the pack. You’re broken, confused. You can’t be this way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t help that Mary Jo and her posse had resurrected those spiteful words. They started as whispered conversations that we all heard. Before long, those words peppered every comment they made. It felt like all the progress Mercy and me had made towards being accepted was used as fuel to lash out at Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’ve had a long time to get used to those taunts, a long time to ignore them. And he’s a patient man, is Kyle. But he don’t tolerate homophobia. Mary Jo only lasted as long as she did because he also don’t believe in hitting women.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t remember the words that particular night, but I was chatting with Adam at the end of Pirate Night when I felt Kyle’s anger wash through the pack bonds. I turned to see Alec knocked to the floor, just before Kyle’s hands slammed against the wall Mary Jo was leaning against and pinned her in. The room went very quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Warren might put up with your homophobia, but I won’t. You will watch the way you talk about him. And me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised her chin, meeting his eyes. “Or what? You gonna make me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have to.” His voice was carefully controlled, but I could feel the anger rolling off him. “You ought to have enough respect, if for no other reason than because we are part of your pack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t be. Neither of you. You shouldn’t have even been turned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle growled. “Now you question our Alpha?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes slid past him, not submitting but acknowledging her slip. “Of course not.” Then she met his eyes again, and said so softly I barely heard “but he’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> be your mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle went very still. A wave of power, dominance, filled the room and half the pack fell to their knees. Most the rest dropped their eyes. My wolf perked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Mine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologize.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mary Jo fought for almost a full second before collapsing to her knees. “I’m sorry. To both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle loomed over her a moment longer, then the power faded suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me.” He moved away from her, not looking at anyone as he fled out the back door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam was a step behind him. I followed as far as the door, but stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can let him out. It’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle stood with his back to the house. He was shaking, his arms folded tightly across his chest. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won't,” Adam promised. “Just let him out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle hesitated a moment longer, but nodded. He managed to undress and lower himself to the ground before curling into a ball against the pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We’d told him what it was like. We knew it would come sooner or later and tried to prepare him. I didn’t think to prepare myself. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to watch my mate—husband—in so much pain. My wolf whimpered and I fought the urge to go to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mercy appeared beside me, sliding under my arm and wrapping her arm around my waist. Beyond that, nobody moved or spoke for the eternity it took for my husband’s body to liquify and reform as a wolf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A darn gorgeous wolf. He was white, with wisps of gold on his ears, across his back, and down his tail. It was a similar pattern to a sable, but in white and gold rather than black and brown. And I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lay still for a bit after the change finished, just breathing. Then he stood, shook himself, and looked around. When he saw Adam, he went still again. He dropped his head and walked slowly towards our Alpha. He sniffed at Adam’s feet before lowering himself to the ground. Adam crouched and set his hand on Kyle’s neck. Kyle rolled over, baring his stomach and submitting to his Alpha ...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he squirmed, cocking his head and grinning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Darlin’ I don’t think it counts as submitting if you start begging for belly rubs while you’re down there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Kyle.” Mercy said. “Did you expect anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam chuckled and smacked him gently. “Ask your husband if you want a belly rub.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle grinned, flipped to his feet and bounced towards me. He took two steps before turning back to Adam and cocking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’re good. Go ahead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle pranced over to me and did a spin. It was the same spin I saw every time he got a new outfit and wanted to show it off to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smiled. “Darlin’ you are the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever laid eyes on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He preened. Then his ears perked and he raced past me into the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped and looked back at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let him go. He’s probably looking for a mirror.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle glanced at Mercy, then sat and cocked his head at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go with him, Warren.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, boss. Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a full-length mirror in the closet of the peach room.” Mercy called after us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I followed him through the house, I heard Adam tell Mary Jo to follow him to his office. I did not envy the talking to she was about to get, but I didn’t pity her either. Antagonizing a newly turned wolf like that could get you killed. She was darn lucky Kyle had as much control as he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I put her out of my mind as I turned on the closet light in the aforementioned peach room. Sure enough, mounted to the back wall was a full-length mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle went right to it and began turning this way and that, trying to see all of himself. After a minute, he came over to me and started nosing my pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I pulled my phone out. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat and looked at me expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want a picture? You know werewolves don’t photograph well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He continued to just look at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shook my head with a laugh. “Alright. Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I ended up taking almost a dozen pictures of different angles and poses. Eventually, I closed the camera and put the phone away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s enough. I’ll show ‘em to you when you change back. Now come’ere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Kyle</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle knew he was very fortunate among werewolves. He had chosen to become what he was now, and he had been warned about the pain and fear; he had been warned about the anger and hunger. He had friends and his husband who had explained what it was like to be a werewolf. They had walked him through his first change (several times) months before it happened. And he knew most of the rules and expectations, he had met most of the pack, even before he decided to attempt the Change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But none of that truly prepared him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing could have prepared him for the ... horror and despair of realizing his mate bond with Warren was broken, for the moments of confusion and panic when Warren walked up behind him and he felt like a stranger, for the worry when Warren was somewhere else and he didn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was ok. Nothing could have prepared him for just how much the change hurt, or how calming it was to have Adam near. Nothing could have prepared him for how angry he felt at Mary Jo’s taunting, or the relief that came when she submitted. Nothing could have prepared him for the confusion and uncertainty that was every waking moment these past few weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flirted with Adam and Warren because it was easy. He was used to flirting to hide his uncertainty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s enough. I’ll show ‘em to you when you change back. Now come’ere.” Warren crouched and held a hand out toward him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle went still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What did Warren want? Did he submit while Kyle was focused on Mary Jo? Was he going to force Kyle to submit? Was this something Kyle was supposed to know?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyle? It’s ok...” his posture was calm and relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle took a step forward and sniffed the offered hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren’s hand slid into his fur and it felt like a greeting, so Kyle stepped forward. Warren only had two legs at the moment, but it was very wolf-like, the way he leaned forward to sniff Kyle’s neck. And his scent was familiar. Warren smelled like Warren, but he also smelled like Kyle, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>pack</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The scent reminded him that Warren belonged to human-Kyle and it was calming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned into this human-wolf  who was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>partially-his</span>
  </em>
  <span> and the human-wolf stroked through his fur, making him feel safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did good with Mary Jo, by the way. You put her in her place without hurting her. And you placed yourself in the pack. Things should be a bit easier now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He continued to stroke Kyle’s fur and the anger and fear faded. He hadn’t realized he was still angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Kyle was calm and relaxed, Warren thumped his ribs and pulled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to greet the rest of the pack like this. You need to learn their smells.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something in his posture must have given away his uncertainty because Warren continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just trust your instincts. Trust your wolf. You’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle nodded and followed Warren back to the kitchen. Everything looked and smelled and tasted different in this form. Smells stood out like he was used to noticing colors, while color fell away like background noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the pack greeted him much the same as Warren had and his wolf brain recorded their scents like his human brain recorded faces and names. Darryl and Aurielle shared much of their scent, almost like a family resemblance between siblings. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mates,</span>
  </em>
  <span> something told him.) And Mercy had a different smell that made him sneeze when he noticed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam chuckled. “That would be the coyote. You’ll get used to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of the pack chuckled. Mercy protested of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Jesse piped up, “he kinda looks like a barely-toasted marshmallow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle huffed and sat at Warren’s feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She does have a point darlin’ though I think you’re much prettier than any marshmallow I’ve ever seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adam,” Zack chuckled. “Is ‘Marshmallow’ fluffy enough for his ID tag?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Vain Fluffball</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Parts of this I wanted to put in the last chapter, but they didn’t quite fit. LittleBakemono made a request and it helped me connect them. Thanks!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Can’t you just pick one already?” Zack whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honey and Kyle looked at him like he’d just suggested they buy clothes at Walmart. Considering Kyle was a wolf at the moment, it was kinda impressive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I offered to take you home first.” I reminded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought this would be a quick stop: grab a collar, print a tag, and be done. No one said we’d be dithering over which shade of purple matches his fur better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of us shared a look. “You ain’t never been shopping with Kyle before, have you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s frustration was replaced quickly by something like terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” I pulled my card out of my wallet. “Go find the tag printer. We’re almost done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack sighed and accepted the card. “Fine. I vote the darker one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could just get both.” Honey suggested. “They’re only ten dollars.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked down at the two “purple’ collars sitting on Kyle’s back. One of them looked pink to me. Honey had called it ‘fuchsia.’ I was more inclined to agree with Zack, honestly, but that’s why Honey was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Let’s do that.You can pick when you’re human again.” I collected the two collars and found the matching leashes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We only made it halfway down the aisle before Kyle stopped us with a whine. I turned back to see him looking at me with what can only be called puppy dog eyes. I joined him and he looked from me to the hangers that contained an assortment of hairbrushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My first thought was to laugh, but then I shivered. “You gonna share?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He studied me for a moment before nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one?” I grabbed the brush that looked enticing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle grinned at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you tell anyone about this, you 'll sleep in the tub for a week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In answer, Kyle walked around me, brushing against my legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When we got home, Kyle and I settled in the movie room, and for nearly an hour I brushed him. My beautiful husband was an equally beautiful wolf. And he was soft. I had always loved having my ears scratched, having Kyle’s fingers buried in my fur. I had no idea the reverse could be every bit as pleasurable. Feeling his fur between my fingers was heavenly. Watching him relax under my attention was intoxicating. I wanted to never stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sooner or later we had to sleep, though. Sooner or later Kyle had to change back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I set the brush aside and lay down beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what I want to do now? I want a bath. With that ridiculous lavender bubble  bath you love. And your gorgeous body pressed against mine...” I ran my fingers through his hair as I talked, describing in detail how we might spend the rest of the evening. I didn’t mention changing. I just painted a very visceral picture of being human and why that might be a good thing right then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt the stir of magic as he started to change. I kept talking, but I moved just enough so I wasn’t touching him. The change is painful enough without someone touching you while it happens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I watched his body change from human to wolf. He was slow. But he did it on his own. Three weeks a wolf and he had already resisted a change, and now initiated one. By the Marrok’s rules, that meant he got to live.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should go start that bath you promised,” he panted as soon as he was human again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I grinned. “Only if you clean up the pile of fur you left.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Moonlit Conversation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The night before the full moon, I woke to an empty bed and the glow of moonlight spilling around the closed curtain. The sheets beside me were cold. The pack bonds didn’t tell me anything significant. I got up and went looking for my husband.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle was standing on the back porch, looking up at the nearly-full moon. He didn’t turn when I came out, but he must have heard me. I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around him. His hands settled over mine and he leaned into me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t decide whether I feel or hear it.” He said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hummed. “You can change if you want. Ain’t no one gonna care. Especially your first month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “I want to try to resist it. At least for now. Besides, I have work in a few hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could do it, change and change back that fast, but I’d be whipped after.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a bit we just stood there, two werewolves watching the nearly-full moon drift across the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Warren?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was it like? Before your wolf claimed me. Did you ever ... disagree about me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked down at him. He felt tense. He smelled faintly of fear and frustration. I considered his question for a moment, thinking back over our relationship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think my wolf claimed you even before I realized.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You remember when the demon-vampire nearly killed me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tensed, but nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember anything about that first day. My wolf was in charge, but I didn’t hurt you. In fact, they tell me I was calmer with you there.” I gave him a squeeze. “There aren’t many reasons why that would be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re saying ... even before I knew about him, your wolf had claimed me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam was worried I was pining after you left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We both let that sit for a bit. The memories might be old, but they were still tender. The idea might have been old, but putting words to it was new.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If my wolf and I ever disagreed about you, it was the other way. He knew you were everything we wanted, everything we needed. I was the one who couldn’t tell you, who was afraid you wouldn’t accept that part of me.” I buried my face in his hair and held him tighter. “I’m glad I was wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle squeezed my hands. “I just wish I knew what it’ll feel like, how I’ll know if he claims you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just told me it took you almost a year to realize ...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I was bein’ stupid, thinkin’ I couldn’t have you. I’m hopin’ you don’t have that problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, the next chapter is being a bit slow. I know what happens. The characters know what happens. We agree. But the words are being a bit difficult about tell the story. I’ll get it up as soon s I can.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Full Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW violence and gore, I guess. A pack of werewolves has elk for a midnight snack. It got slightly more graphic than I expected. It’s only two paragraphs and there’s a <br/>**<br/>before and after that part if you need to skip it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Kyle</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night of Kyle’s first full moon felt significant. Not like wedding or first house significant. More like the first day of grad school, the day he took the LSAT or Bar exam. It felt like everything had been leading up to this and yet it was only the first step. It was new and important, and yet normal and everyday for most the people around him. (Well, everyday for the pack. He knew it was a very small subset of the people he interacted with, but he was currently surrounded by werewolves.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warren drove the three of them to a field outside Richland, where the rest of the pack was arriving in twos and threes. They didn’t always all run together, but as Kyle’s first moon, Adam had asked everyone to come. Kyle couldn’t decide whether it was comforting or intimidating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You ready for this?” Warren asked as he parked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle took a breath. “I let the wolf be a wolf. I trust him to lead and trust the pack to keep me from doing anything I’d regret.” Adam, Warren, Zack, Honey, and Mercy had all told him the same thing about the full moon. More than once. But words weren’t the same as doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warren reached over and pulled him into a kiss. “You’ll be fine. All of us messed up our first moon.” His eyes lightened as his wolf peaked through. “I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was something else Kyle knew: Warren was just as nervous and excited as he was but for entirely different reasons.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too.” He did his best wolfish grin. “Let’s go hunting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no ceremony or pomp to the evening. Some wolves started changing as soon as they were out of the cars. Others seemed to be waiting for something. Warren stripped as soon as he got out of the truck. Kyle hesitated, but followed his example. When was the last time he’d been naked around someone he wasn’t either about to be or in the habit of sleeping with? Not since ... college? When he’d shared a shower with half the floor of his dorm? And yet ... he could feel the moon on his skin and wanted more of it. He was hungry in a way he’d never been before. And he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>run</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on.” Warren gestured and they settled on the ground together. Warren gave him a grin and started to change. Kyle took that as permission and quit fighting the itch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed slightly faster this time; it seemed to hurt a little less.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he shook off the last tingles of the change, Warren was standing beside him like a guard. Kyle wagged his tail at him, and the familiar wolf took a cautious step towards him. They sniffed at each other, butted heads, rubbing their faces together in greeting. There was something </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span> about greeting him this way. Human Kyle almost wondered about that, but there were other wolves to greet and they wanted to greet him. Wolves, and that one coyote who smelled like Alpha but not quite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a while they played, chasing and tackling each other in little groups. Zack nipped playfully at him at some point, and he allowed the submissive wolf to pin him. He got a gentle headbutt and a happy yip before the smaller wolf pranced off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He realized he hadn't seen Warren since the first greeting and after a minute of looking, found him sitting a short ways away, watching the others play. Kyle trotted over to him and bowed in invitation, but the other wolf just looked at him. He bounced and nipped and bowed again, and again. The older wolf lay down and continued to watch him. Kyle whined.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, a howl split the night. The sound was warm and welcoming and filled Kyle’s body. Warren threw his head back and joined the song. There were other voices, too, surrounding him, filling him. Kyle howled. He felt the pack bonds tingle around him, their voices filling the air and tying them together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then they were running.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were hunting. And the moment Kyle realized that was the moment the spell broke. He missed a step and tumbled, hitting the ground with his cheek and then rolling over. He’d never been hunting in his life. He knew nothing about it. He certainly didn’t know how to hunt on four legs, not to mention as part of a pack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he felt that </span>
  <em>
    <span>pull</span>
  </em>
  <span> still, that need to run with his brothers and sisters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was supposed to trust the wolf, trust his instincts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave in to that urge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They found a scent and followed it. The scent brought an image of an animal to mind. A distant part of him connected that image with the word ‘elk,’ but it was unimportant. They isolated the animal and harried it, chasing it to exhaustion, nipping and jumping at it, leaving teeth and claw marks in its flank. Until Ben jumped on it and it staggered. Aurielle leapt from the other side, and the three tumbled to the ground. Immediately, the rest of the pack was on it, biting and pulling, tearing off flesh and muscle while the animal still struggled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The taste of blood and fresh meat was delicious on Kyle’s tongue, but it was nothing compared to the thrill of victory, the sense of power and belonging that hummed through his veins. The elk was little more than a snack among so many wolves, but it didn’t matter. They had brought it down together. They had accomplished something together that none of them could have done alone. It was glorious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the elk was nothing more than a pile of bones, the pack separated. Small groups rubbed faces with Alpha before running off together. Others lay down with bones to crunch. A few started playing lazily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyle stood, watching them. The urge to </span>
  <em>
    <span>run</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>play</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>be with</span>
  </em>
  <span> the others had faded, leaving behind his mind. He didn’t really know these people still. He didn’t really know how to be a wolf. He had come to view Zack as a little brother shortly after he moved in with them. He was casually friends with Honey and George and maybe Luke. It was like that awkward moment at a birthday party where you kind of knew everyone there but they all seemed to know someone else better and you weren’t sure if any of them would accept you jumping in. It had been a very long time since Kyle had felt that way. Were he human, he would have just picked a group and flirted his way in, but he wasn’t human. No one around him was human.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could get truly upset, a familiar wolf started towards him, his head low and ears wide. He looked almost guilty. Kyle watched him approach. Warren stopped a few feet away and looked behind him and then back. It was an invitation to follow, and Kyle accepted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a while they walked in silence. They occasionally heard howls in the distance that Kyle knew belonged to the pack, but neither felt the need to answer now. For now, it was just the two of them, walking along together. It reminded Kyle of one of their early dates. It was mostly comfortable, but with something hanging in the air between them, like there was something that needed or wanted to be said but neither of them knew how to say it. It made his skin itch. He couldn’t speak, though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the itch grew, another idea came to him. He bumped Warren with his shoulder, pranced a few steps away, and bowed. He waited, and then ran.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I had been tense all night. My wolf and I were fighting, though I tried to hide it. I had been wondering for weeks how my wolf would react to Kyle’s, whether he would still want him once he saw. I worried whether Kyle’s wolf would feel the need to rank us, and how my wolf would react if he did. And ... maybe I was hoping something I wasn’t ready to admit to myself yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that we were alone, when he asked to play, I couldn’t fight any longer. I chased him. I was faster and nipped at his ear as I ran past. We played tag for a bit. I let myself get lost in the joy of chasing and being chased. And then we wrestled. I let him win once and he growled and bounced until I got up. He didn’t let me win, either, so we play-fought until we were exhausted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We eventually made it back to my truck and changed back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was ... amazing.” Kyle panted, laying on his back in the dirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I smiled. “It was a good hunt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I couldn’t help my eyes from wandering over him, my vain, prissy husband, carelessly naked in the dirt, lying under the starlight. My wolf and I both admired the sight. Kyle noticed. And responded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He grinned at me. “You should get me home before you finish that thought.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Our Normal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it took a while. I lost Warren’s voice and had to take a few days to reset my brain. (I might have scrapped and rewritten this chapter 4 times...)<br/>Still open for requests if you’ve got any. ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cuddling with Kyle is one of my favorite things. Most my favorite things seem to revolve around Kyle these days, but having his arms around me and his head on my chest was definitely near the top of that list. Knowing I wasn’t going to lose him now made it that much sweeter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we going to get up at some point?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the morning after his first full moon. We woke up wrapped around each other and hadn’t bothered to move. I reckon I could’ve stayed like that the rest of the day and been happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kind of. I was thinking ...” he shifted a little. “We don’t have to, but I was wondering if you might want to take me to the park.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That phrase was basically a euphemism between us. It started a week or two after a vampire named Littleton nearly killed me. I was going stir crazy but couldn’t hardly walk on two legs. So Kyle had me change and took me to a park. We both enjoyed it so much, it became a regular thing for us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned at me. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I pulled him in for a kiss. “Get changed. I’ll find us some breakfast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scrambled out of bed and disappeared into the closet for a minute. When he came out, he threw a shirt at me and dropped one of his collars on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I chuckled as I got dressed. Knowing Kyle, he’d picked the shirt because it looked good with the collar he wanted to wear. (He wasn’t the type to make us wear matching Christmas sweaters or coordinated ties, but he did give me a glittery collar once that said ‘baby’ in gemstones.) I humored him. He was worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After breakfast, I drove us to the park. Kyle pawed at the window until I rolled it down for him. I couldn’t help glancing over constantly. He really is the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen, but with the wind in his fur and his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, he looked adorably goofy. It made me smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When we got to the park, I buckled on his collar before letting Kyle out of my truck. I stuck the leash in my back pocket, locked the doors, and started walking along the trail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle trotted along ahead of me. He wandered around until something caught his attention, then stopped to sniff it. Sometimes he peed on whatever it was (mostly trees and bushes. Sometimes a bench.) before moving to the next interesting thing. When I noticed other people approaching us on the trail, I called him back to me. Lots of people had to tell me what a beautiful ‘dog’ I had. A few people asked to pet him. One woman tried using him as an opening to flirt with me, but I just told her ‘Marshmallow’ was a gift from my husband and she awkwardly apologized and hurried off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a bit, Kyle found a sturdy stick and brought it to me. I took it and threw it across the field. I smiled as I watched him run. Werewolves are surprisingly graceful for how bulky we are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that your dog.” A male voice asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he is.” I was starting to get annoyed with this same conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” I glanced over at him. He wasn’t really looking at Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any idea where I can get one?” His voice had just a hint of warmth, and a touch of uncertainty. It was a familiar combination, and Kyle seemed to recognize it, too. He dropped the stick at my feet and sat beside me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d have to ask my husband. I don’t know where he found him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” He quickly hid his disappointment. “Well now I’m jealous.” He said lightly. “Any idea where I can get one of those?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I chuckled. “Lots of patience. You new to the area?” It’s not that I knew every gay man in the Tri-Cities, but there weren’t that many of us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I moved out here about a month ago. Don’t know anyone outside of work yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, now you do. Warren Smith.” I offered a hand. “And this here is ... Marshmallow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucas Carmichael. May I?” He shook my hand and nodded to Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can try. He’s picky sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle huffed at me before sniffing Lucas’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, if you want, me and Kyle could introduce you to some people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. That would be nice. I ... kinda need this to work out, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Been there a few times. So’s Kyle. Here.” I pulled out my wallet and found one of the business cards Kyle had made for me. “Why don’t you give me a call, and we’ll have you over for dinner. You can meet some of our friends, and maybe find something you're looking for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was that look, sort of confused but hopeful, often went with the question ‘why would you do this for me?’ Me and Kyle saw it a lot.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re growing on my wolf.” Kyle as he joined me on the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>“What makes you say that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Last night, playing with you felt different. It felt more like flirting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I smiled. “I did feel like I was being courted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also, he was impressed by you offering to take Lucas in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what we always do.” I nuzzled his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is. We just haven’t had the chance since I was changed. It felt good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhmm.” It was nice, sitting there together. It had been a good day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a minute, I felt his mood drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think I’m ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” I kissed his hair. “You’re in control. You’re not going to hurt one of our people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you be certain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You changed twice today all by yourself and without the help of the moon. That’s awfully impressive. Took me a good three months before I could do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled at me. “Maybe I just had a better teacher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I grinned. “Maybe.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Safe Keeping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: mention of domestic violence. (Very mild. This TW is more direct than the chapter.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jessica Holmes was one of the rare lucky ones. Her cousin was the tip of the iceberg and as soon as she took a step to leave her abusive husband, she had family coming out of the woodwork. She moved in with her brother who was a retired Marine. She showed up to court flanked by two other brothers and shadowed by a fierce looking mother. And her belongings were rescued by a dozen church friends who had been worried about her and trying to contact her since her husband isolated her three years before.</p><p>Most of Kyle’s abused clients were more like Elizabeth Fletcher, who was brought in by her elderly neighbor about a week after Kyle’s first full moon. She had been taken from her alcoholic mother at the age of 11 and put in foster care till she aged out. She had tried to go to school, but after a year had dropped out to work. Now she was 25, no job, no education, two kids she wasn’t allowed to be alone with, and a husband who had a talent for breaking arms.</p><p>He thought she was at a doctor’s appointment the first time she came to see us.</p><p>Kyle told me all this after calling me in to meet her.</p><p>“We need to get her kids out of that house, and then she’ll be staying with us ‘til the divorce is finalized and we can get her someplace more stable.”</p><p>“What if he finds me? I don’t want anyone else getting hurt. If he hadn’t hit Maddie ...”</p><p>“Can I show you something, Elizabeth?” Kyle said calmly, picking up a picture frame from his desk. He glanced at me as he stood and I nodded. “You might have seen these before. They were in the paper a couple years ago.”</p><p>The picture frame held two pictures of me: one as a grinning wolf sitting next to the President. The other as a human, standing in the bed of my truck and throwing a lasso. Kyle said he liked the second better because it had a good angle of my butt.</p><p>“This was the zombie cow, right?”</p><p>“Yes. And that is my gorgeous werewolf husband.”</p><p>She looked from the picture to Kyle, and then at me.</p><p>“You’re a ... werewolf?”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am. And I don’t like men who think they can hit women just ‘cause they’re bigger.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Kyle</strong>
</p><p>It always fascinated Kyle how people who had seen real monsters reacted to finding out about Warren. People who had lived with just how evil mundane humans could be somehow relaxed when told they were standing next to a werewolf.</p><p>The first time he saw it was before he’d even forgiven Warren for not telling him. It was one of the first cases he helped with after Kyle convinced him to get a PI license. The three of them had been meeting in Kyle’s office, discussing what kind of evidence they needed and how Warren might get it, when she asked a question and the man just drawled out,</p><p>“Well, you see, ma’am, I’m a werewolf.”</p><p>The client had suddenly seemed much more confident in their plan, and went along with everything Kyle suggested.</p><p>Elizabeth was much the same. Upon being told that a werewolf would help rescue her children from her husband, she drew herself together and agreed to their plan.</p><p>Only a few hours after meeting Elizabeth, Warren drove the three of them to her house. Kyle led the way to the front door, while Warren stayed one step behind, side-by-side with their client. Kyle didn’t hesitate to knock. He had done this more times than he could count. And the last few years, he’d had Warren beside him. He knew almost exactly how this would play out.</p><p>The door opened, and an average looking man looked between the three of them with confusion and barely-concealed anger.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>“Mr Fletcher, my name is Kyle Brooks. I’m here to inform you that your wife is filing for divorce and sole custody of her children as well as pursuing a restraining order against you.” He had more, but the husband cut him off.</p><p>“She what? What lies have you been telling?” He demanded.</p><p>Kyle barely moved, but put himself directly between Mr Fletcher and his wife. “Please stand aside so we may collect Ms Bennett’s children.”</p><p>Kyle barely saw him move, but suddenly Mr Fletcher’s fist was caught mid-swing by Warren’s grip on his wrist. “I’d appreciate you not hitting my husband, sir.”</p><p>His eyes went wide and he pulled back like Warren had burned him. The next two words out of his mouth were exactly what Kyle expected and not ones we’re going to repeat.</p><p>Kyle gave him his best predatory smile. “We’re much more than that, Mr Fletcher.”</p><p>In the bed of Warren’s truck, two wolves took that as their cue to hop out and slink lazily towards the door.</p><p>Mr Fletcher’s eyes went wide in terror and he stumbled back against the door frame.</p><p>“Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you unless you give them a reason to. Now why don’t we step out here on the grass for a minute?” Kyle has always been good at getting people to do what he wanted. He didn’t need to be a werewolf, or to have Warren standing beside him, or to have Honey and Mary Jo grinning behind him. But they seemed to make his client feel a little better, so he included them.</p><p>He was careful not to grin as Mr Fletcher slowly obeyed his suggestion. Warren and Elizabeth disappeared inside while Kyle stood on the grass and watched his prey squirm. This would be a good hunt. Mr Fletcher would pay for hurting his wife. And he had no idea yet. He was angry. He thought he would find a way around this. For several long, tense minutes they stood there together in silence, watching each other, gaging each other.</p><p>The door opened and Warren appeared first. In one arm, he carried two suitcases, while the other was wrapped around a boy of about 4. The boy clung to Warren with a white-knuckled grip. Behind them came Elizabeth, carrying a girl only slightly older than the boy.</p><p>In the space of a glance, Kyle felt an unexpected wave of fierce, possessive affection. He forced his attention back to his prey, and watched him closely as Warren escorted their clients to his truck. It would not do to be distracted from this man.</p><p>“Sweetheart, we’re ready to go.”</p><p>Kyle had to hide another grin; Warren was just taunting the man with that.</p><p>“You have a good day, sir.” Kyle turned his back and walked away. He had nothing to fear from Mr Fletcher.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Grudging Respect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am never writing Mary Jo again. I could not keep her and Kyle in my head at the same time. So frustrating! But I got past it. ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Kyle</strong>
</p><p>Elizabeth, Maddie, and Christopher were all fed, bathed, and settled in one of the guest bedrooms. Honey was with them. Zack was around here somewhere. Warren had just left for Rodger’s to introduce Lucas to their friends.</p><p>Kyle settled at the breakfast bar with his laptop, trying to get some work done. He was trying to not dwell on that moment earlier when he saw Warren guarding his clients, and the sudden possessiveness he felt. He found himself hoping it was his wolf, that he had finally ... He cut off that thought every time it started. He didn’t want to go there yet. He didn’t want to hope and be wrong.</p><p>That was where Mary Jo found him. She was human again, and slid onto the barstool next to him.</p><p>“Where’s your ... Warren?”</p><p>“Friend’s house. For dinner. He has some introductions to make.”</p><p>“You guys trying to set up some of your ... friends?” Her voice started out mocking, but turned oddly hesitant at the end.</p><p>Kyle caught that. “Why are you here, Mary Jo?”</p><p>“I ... Honey mentioned where she was going. I’ve heard Warren mention that you take in clients sometimes, but ... I guess I was curious. And ...” She took a breath. “I apologize for taunting you.”</p><p>Kyle looked over at her. “You’re not sorry though.”</p><p>“No. I’m not.” She sniffed. “I did it for the pack.”</p><p>Kyle didn’t respond. She had some reason for talking to him. She’d get to it eventually.</p><p>“Everyone was just dancing around you, ignoring that you were making the bond unstable because none of us knew where you fit. Someone had to do something. I knew you were more dominant than me, but the pack needed to see it.”</p><p>“You’re saying you intentionally antagonized me into attacking for the good of the pack.” Kyle had lots of practice keeping emotion out of his voice.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Am I supposed to thank you?”</p><p>“No. I just ... You know, Warren used to make the pack unstable too. Not a lot. It was similar to how an unmated female makes the unmated males testy. But kind of the opposite. They worried he might try to claim them or something. Then he claimed you, and that uncertainty went away. Some of us still aren’t very comfortable that you’re ...” she glanced at him.</p><p>“Gay?”</p><p>She nodded. “But you’ve been good to the pack, even before your Change. You acted like pack even when you weren’t, and I always figured it was for Warren.”</p><p>“It was for Warren. I didn’t get why he would put up with some of you, but I knew the pack was important to him and that made it important to me. That’s part of what makes a relationship work.”</p><p>“‘Mine to me and mine.’”</p><p>“Yeah. Werewolves don’t have a monopoly on being protective, you know.”</p><p>“I know. I guess I just wanted to see it.”</p><p>“And now that you have?”</p><p>She took a breath. “I think you’ll be good for the pack. I still can’t say I like you—or Warren. But you fill an important hole. And that’s good.”</p><p>
  <span>He looked over at her. It sounded like the truth. He was still working on smelling it. He decided to answer her original question. “We don’t make a habit of setting up our friends, but sometimes we run into someone new to the area or recently out and we do what we can to help them find their place. Warren and I have both seen the absolute worst parts of being gay and trying to find your place. We like helping others avoid that as much as we can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle tried to focus on his computer again. He’d been about to do something before this conversation started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Mary Jo began after they’d been silent for several minutes. “That sounds a lot like what we do with wolves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle turned back to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Helping them find a stable job, a decent place to live, taking them to Uncle Mike’s, making sure they know what areas to avoid...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack wandered in while she was talking and started digging in the fridge. “Kyle actually helped with all that when I first got here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mary Jo glanced between them. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised with what I know now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” Zack turned around and dropped sandwich fixings on the counter in front of them. “I’m sure they’ll forgive you eventually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned at them and Kyle felt himself relax. He hadn’t even realized he’d been tense until that moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eventually.” He agreed, returning Zack’s smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, this may be a bit presumptuous, but I feel like there are quite a few parallels between being a werewolf and being gay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you figure?” Kyle prompted, stealing a slice of cheese.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, a lot of us lose everything over something we have no control or choice in. People judge us based on that one thing as though it were our only defining characteristic. We have our own society that runs just beneath the surface of the rest of society with our own ways of identifying and supporting each other.” He shrugged. “Those are the big ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Warren and I have had a similar conversation.” Kyle informed them. “Warren says that at least on a day-to-day level, being gay is more complicated than being a werewolf. Especially before you—we—became public.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack nodded, but Mary Jo looked lost in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to head to bed.” She left without looking at either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle stared after her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’ll be alright.” Zack set a sandwich in front of him. “But I’m pretty sure you didn’t eat lunch again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyle actually laughed. “Now you sound like Warren.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>P.S. I have one more chapter, then I might call this complete. If there’s something more you want to see, let me know.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Reciprocal Claim</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: brief, non-explicit sex, sort of poetically glossed over. If you’re innocent enough, you might miss it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When I got home from Rodger’s (where I’d been introducing Lucas to some of our other gay friends), Kyle was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He had his arms folded across his chest. His entire body was tense.</p><p>“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”</p><p>I saw a jaw muscle tighten. He nodded up the stairs and started walking without saying a word.</p><p>I followed obediently. I couldn’t think of anything I’d done that he’d be mad at me for. Maybe something had happened with Elizabeth or her kids. But he would have just told me that.</p><p>He led me to our bedroom and stood by the open door, waiting for me. As I passed him, I noticed his eyes were blue, his wolf ascendent, and he smelled of anger, fear, and desire.</p><p>As soon as the door closed, I found myself shoved against the wall, Kyle’s hands on my wrists and his hips pressed against mine. He inhaled deeply, and I understood. He pressed his nose to my collarbone and sniffed me. I tipped my head back to allow him access, as his wolf searched for signs that anyone had touched me. He released one hand to grab my jaw. I tilted my head and opened my mouth so he could smell that as well. I wasn’t surprised when his tongue darted out to taste the roof of my mouth and lip. I just waited for his judgement. My wolf had done this to Kyle more than once in our time together. And I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. If anything, being on the receiving end was a bit of a turn on. It meant his wolf was being ...</p><p>My breath caught.</p><p>... possessive.</p><p>Kyle looked up at me with ice blue eyes and said one word.</p><p>“<em> Mine </em>.”</p><p>The word hit me like a physical blow. I felt it warm and sharp in every nerve of my body. My wolf rose, and we pulled Kyle in to claim his mouth, hungry and desperate. He kissed me back just as intensely. His claim softened to a warmth in my chest and a pressure in my mind.</p><p>
  <em> Mine. </em>
</p><p>My wolf led, tumbling us into bed, removing the layers of clothing between us. Kyle watched with pale blue eyes as I devoured him, claimed him.</p><p>My partner.</p><p>My lover.</p><p>My husband.</p><p>My mate.</p><p>
  <em> Mine. </em>
</p><p>And just as fiercely, Kyle claimed me back, surrounded me, enveloped me, consumed me...</p><p>Until we collapsed together, exhausted and spent.</p><p>I turned my head to look at him and we shared a smile.</p><p><em> Warren. </em> He didn’t speak. I felt my name whispered through that warmth in my mind.</p><p>
  <em> I love you. </em>
</p><p><em> I love you too. </em> “I can feel you again.”</p><p>I rolled to face him and stroked his cheek. “You claimed me.”</p><p>I felt the memory pass through his mind, the moment I brought Elizabeth and her kids out of their house. “I think my wolf likes seeing you take care of people.”</p><p>“I ain’t surprised. My wolf has always loved how fiercely protective you are. Gotta admit, it does something for me, too.”</p><p>He grinned at me and shifted closer. “Would that be the same something that your lovely drawl does for me?”</p><p>“Well now, darlin’, I reckon it very well might.” I kissed him slow and soft and gentle, and I felt his pleasure through our bond.</p><p>
  <em> I missed this. </em>
</p><p>I pulled back to look at him. “You did?”</p><p>“Yes. I didn’t realize how ... comfortable it was to always feel you in the back of my mind. The past five and a half weeks, I’ve been worrying constantly; I’ve barely been able to work. I didn’t even realize how stressful it was until just now.” he smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. I felt a wave of affection from him.</p><p>“It’s stronger than it was before.”</p><p>“Good. Maybe now you’ll believe me that I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”</p><p>I studied him for a minute, his face, his smell, and our bond all told me he meant it, but they paled in comparison to the years we’d been together. He’d endured so much for me, because of me, and somehow continued to insist he was mine. He accepted everything about me, he accepted my wolf’s claim, he married me and became a werewolf for me, and now he claimed me back. Everything I never thought to hope for was right here in the form of this beautiful, ruthless, smart, and protective man. And he wanted me.</p><p>I kissed him and pulled him snug against me. “Maybe. Just maybe.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, folk, I think that’s it. I still might take some suggestions, but this was the story I saw when I started. Thanks for coming along with me. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>